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China Eases Internet Restrictions for Journalists

BEIJING — The Chinese authorities, bowing to criticism from Olympic officials, foreign journalists and Western political leaders, have lifted some of the restrictions that blocked Web sites at the main press center for the Games, although other politically sensitive sites remained inaccessible Friday.

The government made no announcement about the partial lifting of its firewall, and it was unclear if the change would be temporary. The International Olympic Committee also sought Friday to counter statements by its top press official, who had suggested that I.O.C. negotiators had quietly acquiesced to the government’s restrictions.

Giselle Davies, a spokeswoman for the I.O.C., said the contradictory versions of events were the result of a misunderstanding, and she emphasized that the committee has always been adamant about unfettered Internet access for the 20,000 foreign journalists who will be covering the Games.

The loosening of restrictions, however limited, came after senior I.O.C. officials spoke with China’s Olympic organizers on Thursday and urged them to reconsider their decision to ban some politically provocative sites. Critics said even a partial ban violated the host country’s pledge to provide uncensored Internet access to journalists, a promise that helped Beijing win the right to hold the Games.

Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing organizing committee, declined to confirm whether there had been a change in policy. “We are fulfilling a promise to provide good working conditions for reporters covering the Olympic Games,” he said in a telephone interview. “Internet access is sufficient and convenient.”

Access to sites the government normally blocks expanded throughout the day Friday. The first sites unblocked included those of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Radio Free Asia and the Chinese language service of the BBC. By early evening, reporters at the press center could read about topics that have long been taboo here: Taiwanese independence, jailed Chinese dissidents, and the 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. Other sites, particularly those that mention Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement, remained off limits.

Until now, the Chinese authorities had remained resolute that their Internet restrictions would not hamper coverage of the Games. And Mr. Sun has repeatedly said that visiting reporters should not expect access to Web sites containing information that is “in breach of Chinese law.”

T. Kumar, Asia advocacy director for Amnesty International, said he was pleased that previously blocked sites were available, but he was skeptical they would remain so. “We urge the International Olympic Committee to exert pressure on China so that those attending the Games — and ordinary Chinese citizens — can enjoy freedom of expression and movement,” he said.

Although the conflict over Internet access for journalists seems to have been defused for now, it remains unclear how the so-called misunderstanding between the I.O.C. and the Chinese government went unaddressed for so long.

In an interview with The Australian newspaper, Kevan Gosper, the chief of the I.O.C. press commission and a former Olympic runner from Australia, maintained his position that high-level I.O.C. colleagues had bowed to China’s Internet restrictions. He accused the organization of secretly agreeing to the policy change and then continuing to publicize the idea that China would not censor the Internet for reporters covering the Games.

“It has dented my reputation quite seriously,” Mr. Gosper said. “People take me at my word, so I expect the information I am giving to be consistent.”